Education - Course Description

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PUBLIC POLICY [6]

PUB PLC C225. Controversies in Education Policy. (4)
Lecture, three hours; outside study, nine hours. Focus on several controversial topics in contemporary education. Topics vary each year and include multiculturalism, affirmative action, "test score gap," bilingual education, and school choice. Introduction to major arguments for and against several important education policies and to encourage students to critically evaluate logic and evidence behind these policies. Concurrently scheduled with course C112. Letter grading. Prof. Thomas Kane [7]

PUB PLC 294. Education Markets and Education Policy. (4)
Lecture, three hours. Designed for graduate students. Provides set of tools that can be used to analyze pressing policy questions in field of education and some substantive background in policy issues of the day. Letter grading. Prof. Jeffrey T. Grogger [8]

EDUCATION [9]

EDUC C207. Politics of Education . (4)
Prerequisite: one approved research methods course required for master's or doctoral degree. Political dimensions of education institutions as organizations. Relationships between education institutions and political institutions in society. Political theory as a foundation for public policy analysis; interest groups in education policy formation and implementation. Concurrently scheduled with course C191D.

EDUC 262J. Entrepreneurial Leadership and Education: Seminar for Education and Business Leaders. (4)
Seminar for education and business leaders to explore concepts and processes of becoming entrepreneurial leaders -- meeting today's educational challenges by internalizing and applying skills and thinking used by successful entrepreneurs. Letter grading. See brochure for more details. [10]

EDUC 265. Higher Education Policy. (4)
Requisites: courses 250A, 250B. Understanding public policy for higher education requires understanding of both issues and policy process. Review of major topics on which the U.S. government is active, as well as key actors and their influence.

EDUC 272. Case-Study Research in Education Policy and Practice. (4)
Use of case-study methods in education research, providing opportunities for applying methodological skills to actual case-study research projects. Focus on single and multiple case studies that investigate issues in education policy and practice.

EDUC 400. Foundations of Education Policy Analysis. (4)
Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Principles of decision making and policy formation, implementation, and analysis in context of the educational system. Critical perspectives include effectiveness and equity of educational delivery systems and programs, and complex nature of educational governance in contemporary America.

EDUC 442B. Legal Aspects of Educational Management and Practice . (4)
Examination of structures and kinds of law governing educational systems in the U.S.; constitutional dimensions of church/state relations; employees' civil rights and legal aspects of hiring, firing, and negotiating procedures; student attendance, control, and civil rights.

LAW [11]

LAW 262. Education Law And Policy
This course provides a basic overview of key issues in contemporary education law and policy. Where possible, examples from the Los Angeles area will be used to illuminate these debates. After reviewing the rise of compulsory education laws, the class will look at three key areas of current controversy: socialization in the schools, equal educational opportunity, and school governance. Underlying all of these issues is a fundamental concern about how to balance the interests of schools, students, and parents. Public schools represent the most comprehensive relationship with the State that many individuals will have. Schools are expected to prepare students for work and citizenship, but at the same time, they must respect student autonomy and parental authority. As a result, courts and policymakers struggle to set appropriate boundaries on public schools’ power and authority to censor student speech, regulate religious exercises, and mandate books or courses that some parents find highly objectionable. Precisely because public schools touch so many children’s lives, educators are often expected to promote individual opportunity, enabling children to escape the harsh consequences of racism, sexism, disability, and poverty. Here, too, conflicts arise over how far the schools are obligated to rectify discrimination and embrace difference. With high expectations and limited resources, public schools regularly find themselves at the center of debates over privatization and restructuring to make them more efficient instruments of reform and educational excellence. Here, too, the uniquely public nature of schools is sometimes debated, as proponents argue for commodifying education to empower parents and students.

A paper and in-class presentation on a topic related to education law and policy will be required. Enrollment is limited.

LAW 282. Education and the Courts
An examination of recent high-profile, education-related litigation disputes, focusing on the efficacy of legal principles and strategies that might be employed by attorneys, parents, and student plaintiffs at both the K-12 and higher education levels. Topics to be explored include campus safety, combating sexual assault, threatening activity in the aftermath of Littleton and 9/11, drug testing, and Internet-related issues facing educational institutions. Access to a quality education will be examined by analyzing the "equity and excellence" disputes arising at every stage of the education process, from issues regarding assignment and placement of students in elementary schools to the ongoing legal battles regarding the SAT, affirmative action, and the long-term impact of California Propositions 209 and 227 at colleges and universities. In addition to the analysis of substantive topics, the course will focus on the unique procedural advantages of consent decrees in effecting educational change, examining the experience of the San Francisco public schools under the controversial and wide-ranging decree currently being monitored for the federal court by Prof. Biegel. LAW 282 SAN FRANCISCO OPTION - Students will also have the option of signing up for an additional